How to Prepare for Your Tryout Interview: What Are Your Weaknesses?

Hello again friends. Looks like you're itching for more information on “Preparing for Round Three: The Interview.” Well I am happy that you are still with me and ready to dive into the next question.

So of course we need to look at the opposite question to last week's “What Strengths Do You Bring to the Table?” We will be looking at how to prepare for the question, “What are your weaknesses?”

Like before, don’t be fooled by the question. Again the judges are not wanting to know physical aspects that are weak, but wanna know what areas of your character that you know are not ideal or hold you back.

I know what you are thinking, why the heck does the judging panel need to know what I am NOT good at? Don’t look at this question and think that they are trying to find your faults to make fun of you. They are wanting to see if you know how honest you are with yourself on what you struggle with and if you have any ideas on how you will overcome it.

Being able to point out your struggles will only make you a stronger candidate in the end. Knowing what you need to work on actually shows humility and your willingness to be honest.

To help you figure out what your weaknesses are, here is a guide to assist.

One: Write down what scares you the most or what you tend to shy away from when asked. This could be talking in front of a camera, being left alone in a crowded room, meeting new people, the list could go on and on.

Of course, I’m going to lead by example and let you know one of my weaknesses. One thing that I consider as a weakness of mine is overplanning.

Now it’s your turn. Remember, now is the time to be honest with yourself and figure out what you need help on.

Two: after making this list, write out why these things scare you or are a weakness. I know we are getting a little therapy-ish today but I promise it will help. Also write out why this is a problem and how it affects your and maybe others around you.

For example, one of my weaknesses is that I can be an overplanner and the reason I do this is that I have a deep rooted passion for things to go right. My fear is that if I don’t plan it will be chaos and all will fall apart. Overplanning is a problem because if things don’t go the way that was planned then I get really upset and frustrated.

Take time to really understand why these traits are your weaknesses. The positive I am going to help you turn these weaknesses into positives. Remember just because it is a weakness does not mean that YOU personally are a weak person. All of us are in a constant state of growth and improvement.

Three: now think about what you do or could do to overcome your weaknesses. This is the key to a great weakness response. It is not just good enough that you know you have the weakness, but you need to have a plan on how you will/do overcome it so that It doesn’t hinder YOU or the team.

Now, take that weakness and explain how the team you are trying out for helps you through this. For example,

For me, knowing that overplanning is a weakness, I go ahead and plan like I would normally do, however I continue to tell myself that things may go wrong… and when that does I will take it one step at a time and adjust as I go.

Your turn…

I know it is not easy to dive deep into your flaws, however knowing what you need to overcome is a skill that you need to learn to be a dynamic teammate for your future team.

You will only be with these people for a short time, yes four years is a short time, and to build a strong bond quickly you will need to be open and vulnerable at times to strengthen the relationship. This step will not only help you communicate to your team and coach what you need but also help them give you the support you need.

So go out and be confident, as you answer the question, “What are your weaknesses?”